Inflatable wading pool or like article

ABSTRACT

An inflatable wading pool or like article whose upright wall is formed of a doubled-over sheet of material and is divided by airtight seams into upper and lower circumferentially continuous air compartments spaced by a series of vertically extending air pockets alternate one of which are connected to one another and to a common air inlet.

United States Patent 2,084,236 6/1937 Babb Inventor Bernard Tytel NewYork, N.Y.

Appl. No. 73,960

Filed Sept. 21, 1970 Patented Jan. 4, 1972 Assignee Award International,Inc.

North Bergen, NJ.

INFLATABLE WADING POOL 0R LIKE ARTICLE 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 4/172, 4/177 Int. Cl E0411 3/16, E04h 3/18 Field of Search 4/172,172.11, 172.19, 177

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 9/1954 Mollica et al 4/177 UX7/1958 Zakin 4/172.l9 9/1958 Mizrach et al. 4/177 1/1968 Friedlander4/172 1/1969 Diemond et al. 4/172 FOREIGN PATENTS 9/1964 France 4/172.192/1963 France 4/172.19

Primary Examiner-Henry K. Artis Att0rney-Victor M. Helfand ABSTRACT: Aninflatable wading pool or like article whose upright wall is formed of adoubled-over sheet of material and is divided by airtight seams intoupper and lower circumferentially continuous air compartments spaced bya series of vertically extending air pockets alternate one of which areconnected to one another and to a common air inlet.

PATENTEB JAN 4 I972 SHEET 1 (IF 2 INVLNTOR. Bernard Tyfel Fig. 4

PAIENIEB m 4% SHEET 2 OF 2 INVENTOR. Bernard Tyfel AT Y INFLATABLEWADING POOL OR LIKE ARTICLE The present invention relates to inflatablearticles, particularly to inflatable wading pools for children, or thelike.

Inflatable wading pools of the character described have generally beenformed of thermoplastic sheet material, such as vinyl sheeting, andconsist of a flat bottom wall and an inflatable sidewall which extendsin an upright position when inflated. Such upright sidewall is generallyformed of a foldedover sheet of the plastic material that is secured byits edges to the edges of the bottom wall and is divided into aplurality, generally three, individual, peripherally extending,continuous inflatable compartments, as by narrow, heat-seal-formedseams; each compartment having its individual means for inflation anddeflation.

In a wading pool construction such as described, the pool or likearticle, when inflated, has an upright wall formed of vertically spaced,usually circular, continuous tubes of substantially circular crosssection, connected by narrow seams. They are, consequently inform andflabby and tend to bend and sway along the narrow seams. Also, suchwalls are generally limited in height, as any increase in wall heightgenerally requires an increase in the thickness of the individualtubular compartments, which necessitates an excessive use of the plasticsheeting and renders the compartment unduly difficult to inflate.Further, an increase in the wall thickness would render the pool clumsyin appearance and clumsy to handle.

It is the object of the present invention to provide wading pools of thecharacter described having firmer side walls that will stay more firmlyin upright position, when inflated.

It is another object of the present invention to provide wading pools ofthe character described which may be increased in depth by increasingwall height, without increasing wall thickness. 7

It is still another object of the present invention to provide wadingpools of the character described which have a more graceful andattractive appearance.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide wading poolsof the character described that present no undue difficulty to inflationof the sidewall.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the wading pools ofthe present invention, or like articles, will become more readilyapparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiments thereof shownin the accompanying drawings and from the description following. It isto be understood, however, that such embodiments are shown by way ofillustration only, to make the principles and practice of the inventionmore readily comprehensible, and without intent of limiting theinvention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one embodiment of a wading pool of thepresent invention, as seen from the top, in inflated state;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary elevation, on an enlarged scale of the uprightwall of the wadingpool of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section taken on line 33 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. I, of a modified embodiment ofthe wading pool of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, enlarged, elevation of the upright wall of thewading pool of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a section taken on line 7-7 of FIG. 6; and

FIG. 8 is a section taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

Generally stated, the present invention contemplates the provision ofwading pools, or like articles, of the character described in which thecentral peripheral section of the upright wall is formed with aplurality of transversely extending air pockets, alternate one of whichare interconnected for air circulation and provided with a common,individual air inlet facility. In one form of the invention each seriesof air pockets is separated from both, the upper and lower tubularcompartments as well as from the adjacent pockets of the alternateseries. In another form of the invention, the pockets of each one of thealternate series of pockets is connected for air circulation to oneperipheral compartment but is divided from the transverse pockets of theother of the alternate series of pockets and from the other peripheralcompartment.

More specifically states, and with particular reference to theembodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, inclusive, ofthe drawings, the wading pool, generally designated as 10, is shown tocomprise a flat bottom wall, 12, which may be formed of one or moreplies of synthetic plastic sheet material, and an inflatable uprightwall, generally designated as 14, connected to the edges of bottom wall12.

As is conventional, wall 14 is formed of a doubled-over sheet of plasticmaterial whose longitudinal edges are secured, as by heat-sealing to theedge of the bottom wall 12 and whose vertical edges of each of its pliesare secured, likewise by heatsealing, to one another, to form acontinuous, airtight compartment. This circumferential compartment isdivided by substantially parallel, circumferentially extendinghorizontal, spaced heat-seal seams, l6 and 18, to divide it into a lowertubular compartment, 20, an upper tubular compartment, 22, both of whichassume a cylindrical shape when inflated, and form, respectively thebottom and top edge portions of the sidewall 14, and an intermediatecompartment, 26.

Compartment 26 is divided by a continuous, circumferentially extending,endless wavy or zigzag line, 28, formed by a heat-seal seam, whosecrests, 30 and 30 and troughs, 32, y

are spaced from scams 16 and 18, to form two series of noncommunicating,air pockets, 34 and 36,- which extend, respectively, downwardly andupwardly, in alternating relation, and are respectively connected bynarrow air passages 38 and 40, at their bases.

Compartments 20 and 22 and each of the alternating series of airpockets, 34 and 36, are provided with individual, sealable air inlets,42, 44, 46 and 48, respectively, for inflation.

In the embodiment of FIGS. 5 to 8, inclusive, seams l6 and 18 andnoncontinuous and are interrupted, respectively by gaps, 50 and 52,which are arranged in staggered relation to provide staggered seamportions between them each of whose ends are connected to the ends oftwo adjacent seam portions of the other interrupted seam, as bytransverse lines 28, 34' and 36' that are respectively connected forairflow with circumferential compartments 20' and 22 and inflatabletogether with such compartments through air inlets 42' and 44'.

This completes the description of the inflatable wading pools, or likearticles, of the present invention. It will be readily apparent thatsuch articles, because of the transversely or vertically formed airpockets, provide a-firmer and more rigid sidewall for the article, thecenter section of which is relatively flatter than the end compartmentsthereof which are cylindrical when inflated, to thereby providerelatively taller sidewalls without any increase in the size of theplastic sheet material used, than possible with the articles of theprior art. It will also be apparent that the wading pools or likearticles of the present invention are of enhanced decorative andornamental appearance.

It will be further apparent that numerous modifications and variationsmay be made in the inflatablej wading pools or like articles of thepresent invention by any one skilled in the art, in accordance with theprinciples of the invention hereinabove set forth and without theexercise of any inventive ingenuity.

I claim:

1. A collapsible wading pool, including a bottom wall and a hollow,inflatable, airtight, peripheral upright wall connected to the edge ofsaid bottom wall, said upright wall comprising peripherally continuousair compartments at the upper and lower edges thereof, substantiallyparallel to said bottom wall and spaced from one another by a centralwall section, each said compartment having individual, closable airinlet and outlet means; said central section comprising a plurality ofvertically disposed air pockets each open at one end with the open endsof alternate pockets oppositely disposed and connected to the adjacentair pocket.

2. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein said alternate transverse pocketsare connected to one another and to a common air inlet and outlet means.

3. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein each of said peripherallycontinuous air compartments are defined from said central wall sectionby a continuous airtight seam and said alternate air pockets are definedby a continuous zigzag line extending around the periphery of saidupright wall,; the crests and troughs of said zigzag seam spaced fromsaid continuous seams.

4. The wading pool of claim 3, wherein each series of said alternate airpockets to one side of said zigzag seam is provided with individual airinlet and outlet means.

5. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein each of said peripherallycontinuous compartments is defined from the said center section by anintermittently broken, airtight seam to provide spaced seam portionsextending around the periphery of said upright wall; each seam sectionof one of said compartments connected by its ends by seams to theadjacent ends of two adjacent seam sections of the other of saidcompartments, to thereby form alternately oppositely directed transverseair pockets each connected by an open end to one of said compartments.

6. The wading pool of claim 5, wherein said intennittently broken seamsare interrupted by evenly sized and evenly spaced gaps, said gaps insaid continuous seams being arranged in staggered relation to oneanother.

t I t t i

1. A collapsible wading pool, including a bottom wall and a hollow, inflatable, airtight, peripheral upright wall connected to the edge of said bottom wall, said upright wall comprising peripherally continuous air compartments at the upper and lower edges thereof, substantially parallel to said bottom wall and spaced from one another by a central wall section, each said compartment having individual, closable air inlet and outlet means; said central section comprising a plurality of vertically disposed air pockets each open at one end with the open ends of alternate pockets oppositely disposed and connected to the adjacent air pocket.
 2. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein said alternate transverse pockets are connected to one another and to a common air inlet and outlet means.
 3. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein each of said peripherally continuous air compartments are defined from said central wall section by a continuous airtight seam and said alternate air pockets are defined by a continuous zigzag line extending around the periphery of said upright wall,; the crests and troughs of said zigzag seam spaced from said continuous seams.
 4. The wading pool of claim 3, wherein each series of said alternate air pockets to one side of said zigzag seam is provided with individual air inlet and outlet means.
 5. The wading pool of claim 1, wherein each of said peripherally continuous compartments is defined from the said center section by an intermittently broken, airtight seam to provide spaced seam portions extending around the periphery of said upright wall; each seam section of one of said compartments connected by its ends by seams to the adjacent ends of two adjacent seam sections of the other of said compartments, to thereby form alternately oppositely directed transverse air pockets each connected by an open end to one of said compartments.
 6. The wading pool of claim 5, wherein said intermittently broken seams are interrupted by evenly sized and evenly spaced gaps, said gaps in said continuous seams being arranged in staggered relation to one another. 